Hawkinsville community plans Juneteenth celebrations at church and city park
Community leaders invite the public to two Juneteenth celebrations honoring freedom and unity
HAWKINSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Communities across the country are preparing to celebrate freedom this week in honor of Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Lynn Johnson, president and CEO of the Hawkinsville-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce, and Freddie Yates with Hawkinsville Unity joined 41NBC to explain how local business and civic community are coming together and to highlight the importance of the holiday.
In Hawkinsville, two community events are planned to mark the occasion. On Thursday, June 19, the celebration will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas AME Church’s Fellowship Hall on 22 Second Street. Guests can expect various community speakers and lunch for seniors. The event is organized by Hawkinsville Unity and the Hawkinsville-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce.
A second event will take place on Saturday at James A. Colson Park, also beginning at 10 a.m (rain or shine). It will include a parade, opening ceremony, and cook-off contest. Colson Park is located at Sixth and Colson Street in Hawkinsville. Organizers say both events are designed to bring the community together through education, entertainment, and recognition of American history.
Both events are from 10am until 5pm and are open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their families and friends.
“Juneteenth is about celebrating our ancestors and our people that have gone on,” Yates said. “And trying to make it a very good occasion for people to enjoy [themselves] in Pulaski County.”
Community collaboration for a cause
Organizers say the entire community is getting involved.
“Everybody is coming together for it, and it’s a great celebration,” Johnson said. “The county commissioner, the city manager, a couple of businesses in town like Planters First Bank and SunMark Bank and Ace Hardware, including individuals like Ms. Bernise Banks—she’s the city commissioner—are all coming together to make this celebration a big deal.”
Johnson added, “Everybody wants to be supportive of Hawkinsville Unity because it is about several organizations coming together for the betterment of the community… and how better to do that than to demonstrate it.”
She explained that local businesses are contributing directly to the events: “The banks—they’re providing lunch. Lunch will be provided both days. Ace Hardware is doing the demonstration on the gardening in small spaces.”
Two days of celebration
The first event takes place Thursday, June 19, at St. Thomas AME Church, beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m.
“We’ll be focusing mostly on the senior citizens,” Yates said. “We’ll be feeding them at that time and have a discussion… talking about Juneteenth.”
The second event is on Saturday, June 21, at James A. Colson Park, also from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We have several events and discussions,” Yates said. “We have a panel that be focused on house buying and buying a home versus renting a home. We will have a law enforcement panel there.”
He added: “We also will have our retired professional football player there and let you know what life is about after he retired football.”
A vision for unity and progress
These events are about more than celebration—they’re part of a broader effort to unify and uplift Hawkinsville and Pulaski County.
“Hawkinsville Unity started back in 2020 when they [were focused] on mostly getting people registered to vote,” Yates explained. “We got different organizations that [were doing the] same thing, but we never got in one place and all together to come together to do that and serve about the community. So now, Hawkinsville Unity is trying to pull everybody together… to make Hawkinsville and Pulaski County a better place.”
Both events are free and open to the public. There will be games for kids, softball, food, and fun for all ages.
Hawkinsville Unity is also sponsoring an event planned for Saturday, June 28th from 4:30pm to 7pm at Colson Park. The Movie in the Park event will feature the movie “The Forge”. Free refreshments will be offered. Parents and responsible adults are asked to remain with their kids at the event and invited to bring towels and lawn chairs for seating.
